American Pharoah: Time to Praise the Champion

On Saturday, I witnessed history thanks to American Pharoah.

As many of you already know, I was lucky enough to be taken by my Dad to the racetrack starting at a very young age to witness most all of the big races that took place in New York in a golden age of racing. I soaked up everything that horses like Secretariat, Ruffian, Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Alydar and Spectacular Bid routinely afforded an impressionable young fan, and I loved every moment. I also feared that I might never see another great champion like those that regularly graced the racetracks of the 1970’s. As many excellent American horses have come along since, I refused to hold them in the same regard as those of my childhood heroes. It wasn’t that I did not want to, for I desperately did, but in my heart, I knew that none truly belonged in such rarified air. Then along came American Pharoah. Like the greatest horses I ever saw, American Pharoah had a fair amount of detractors. Secretariat could not get the distance. Seattle Slew was running against weak competition. Affirmed could not beat older horses. Spectacular Bid failed in one of his most important races. Yes, America, the naysayers were there even for the all-time greats. Most any criticism was wiped clear by the spectacular way each of them finished out their career, though, and as the years passed, the regard in how they are remembered only shined brighter. It’s only fitting -- those champions earned it on the racetrack. In the two minutes that it took him to finish the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Keeneland, American Pharoah proved, once and for all, that he is worthy of a seat at the table of the greatest horses this sport has ever known.

For those of you, like myself, fully immersed and ready to celebrate in the career of an all-time great, please do not let negative talk bother you. It comes from a very small minority, and it is just in some people’s nature to want to diminish greatness. While true, that American Pharoah’s task became a little easier with the scratches of Beholder and Smooth Roller, and the decision not to run Liam’s Map, it had no bearing on the ultimate winner of this year’s Classic. Nor do I believe even a healthy Shared Belief or California Chrome could have stopped the inevitable. American Pharoah was just too good. Like almost every other great horse, American Pharoah was defeated. Like Secretariat, he got that out of the way in his very first race. After eight straight fantastic wins, which of course included the sweeping of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, our Triple Crown winner finished second in the Travers Stakes. Now more than ever, it was a reaffirmation of Saratoga as the Graveyard of Champions. Whether it was the Saratoga rail, the heavy pressure of Frosted, Keen Ice running the race of his life, or Pharoah not being quite at his best, or an equal combination of all four, our champion lost a race. He was valiant in defeat that afternoon. The mark of a real champion, though, is how they respond after a loss. Thankfully, we got to see how American Pharoah would bounce back after his first defeat in more than a year.

Personally, I am very thankful that he even ran a single race after winning the Triple Crown. In this age of running to breed, rather than breeding to run, do not take lightly these last three opportunities that we had to see him perform. He all too easily could have been snatched up from Belmont Park in June for financial considerations. To see Justin and Ahmed Zayat, Bob Baffert, and Victor Espinoza on stage to talk about and celebrate his Breeders’ Cup victory was a deserving tribute to them. They gave us more than many could have hoped for.

The truth is, he danced every dance, and did so in uniquely American Pharoah style. From the Rebel Stakes, to the Arkansas Derby, to the Kentucky Derby, to the Preakness, to the Belmont Stakes, to the Haskell, and yes, even the Travers, and finally in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, this champion son of Pioneerof The Nile was magnificent. In one season, he crushed the myth that a Two-year-old Champion could not come back even better at three. He also did something that has never been done before.

American Pharoah won the Grand Slam. A term never before heard in racing, because no one ever had the opportunity before him. It took 37 long years for a horse to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed, but American Pharoah took the feat one step farther. Think back nine months or more -- we all wondered if we would ever see another Triple Crown winner. Well, we did, and by coming back to run away with the Breeders’ Cup Classic, American Pharoah invented a whole new measure of greatness in American racing. Who will be our next Grand Slam Champion? It might take many more decades to find an answer.

Fluid, effortless, and fast, watching American Pharoah run, whether it was in many of his morning gallops, workouts, or in one of his races, was to see something special.

What makes American Pharoah so great? Some will say that it was the perfect confluence of breeding at the exact right time. Bob Baffert speaks of his intelligence, and the mechanics of his movement being superior to anything he has ever felt before. Or perhaps science will tell us his length of stride, size of heart, or lung capacity were all extraordinary for the modern thoroughbred. To me, all of that is well and good, but it is all just a small part of what makes up American Pharoah.

It does not matter if American Pharoah is someday ranked #3, #7, or #10 on someone’s rankings of the greatest racehorses ever to run on American soil. What is most important is that a great champion came along, and whether or not it was in person, or on television, we all had the opportunity to watch something great, something special, and something in which to celebrate.

American Pharoah truly was a once in a generation kind of horse -- An all-time great, that I will take joy in remembering until the day I die.